Angel Falling Softly
A novel by Eugene Woodbury
Full of doubt I stand,
Whether I should repent me now of sin
By me done and occasioned, or rejoice
Much more, that much more good thereof shall spring,
To God more glory, more good will to Men
From God, and over wrath grace shall abound.
-John Milton
-Paradise Lost
Chapter 1
The devil lives next door
BEDLAM BEAT AGAINST THE BOARDS. The oaken beams shuddered. The
reverberations echoed through the great hall of the manor house.
The sound of thunder, perhaps. Or the Master slamming through the
empty rooms in another one of his senseless rages. The child they'd
brought him had not satisfied. He would beckon her soon enough,
glower and remonstrate, pace lines on the drawing-room carpet,
smacking the leather of his riding crop into the palm of his hand.
Always the same accusation: "You have wrung her dry! Do you
hand a hard sponge to a thirsting man?"
Always her plea: "But there are three of us and only one of you!"
Always his dismissive answer: "You are children. You need hardly
a drop!"
She closed her mouth and clenched her teeth and repeated to herself:
I am not a child, and one day you shall know this.
Another harsh report. Milada's eyes flew open. The darkness
hung around her like funerary curtains. Her heart raced. She listened
closer. No, these were not the echoes of the Master's temper. It was
not lightning, nor was it thunder. It was the sound of angry men and
their fists pounding on the door.
Kamilla turned to her, eyes glowing in the dark. "What is going
on?" she demanded. "What have you done?"
The heavy iron hinges were beginning to give.
Chapter 2
Fortune favors the bold
THE SONIC BOOM ECHOED ACROSS THE CITY from the West Desert
bombing range, rattling the window frame. White light struck Milada
hard in the face. She jerked her head away from the growing
patch of sunlight. A draft of air from the vents had caught the curtains
away from the glass. She covered her eyes with her hands and
groaned. So early, and the day had defeated her already.
Milada climbed out of bed and pulled on her nightgown. After
retrieving her cell phone from the dresser, she approached the window
and cracked open the curtains. Then leaned back as a veritable
blast of light sprang into the room.
